Bagging system

ABSTRACT

A reusable packaging system includes a series of four bags, each designed to be reusable and capable of standing upright when in an open state. The bags are constructed so that they will fit in an open state within a shopping cart, and differ progressively in size so that they can be nested inside of each other for storage. The nested bags are then folded to form a compact, single package which can be easily transported by a user to a store for shopping.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/036,335, filed on Mar. 13, 2008 and entitled “Bagging System,” which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a set of reusable bags for carrying purchased goods, and more particularly, to a set of reusable bags that can be compactly stored in a nested, folded configuration.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

It is typical today for a customer to use a large number of plastic bags when purchasing products, particularly in a grocery store and more often than not, much if not all of the purchased foods is packaged in plastic bags. Consequently, the use of plastic bags has become a significant environmental problem, in part because of the problem of disposing of such bags, but also because of green house gases emitted during manufacture and distribution.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a reusable packaging system intended for use in grocery stores or the like. The invention reduces, and may eliminate, the need for disposable bags at the check-out counter.

In accordance with the invention, a series of bags (for example, four), designed to be reusable and capable of standing upright, are constructed so that they will fit within a shopping cart. Preferably, the bags differ progressively in size so that they can be nested inside of each other and then folded into a compact package which can be conveniently stored by the customer and later taken to a store for shopping.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present inventions will become more readily apparent from the Detailed Description of the Invention, which proceeds with reference to the drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a top view of conventional shopping cart, show a typical arrangement of the bags according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a preferred bag according to the invention;

FIG. 3 is a side view of the bag;

FIG. 4 is an end view of the bag;

FIG. 5 is a top view of the bag; and

FIG. 6 is a bottom view of the bag.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

A preferred embodiment the present invention is described below in reference to the drawings. This embodiment is provided to illustrate principles of the present invention, and is intended to be non-limiting.

FIG. 1 is a top view showing a grocery cart 10 containing bags 12, 14, 16 and 18 in an open state. As illustrated, the cross sectional area of the open bags varies slightly, with bag 12 having the smallest area and 18 the largest.

The individual bags may be constructed so that groceries can be separated by category. For example, the smallest bag 12 may contain horizontal and vertical elasticized partitions 20 and 22 to facilitate use of the bag to hold bottles and other containers. The next larger bag 14 may be insulated to be used to hold cold (or warm) items. A closable top (not shown) may also be included. The third bag 16 may be leak proof for holding wet produce. The largest bag 18 can be used for paper, dry goods, and the like.

A preferred embodiment of a bag that may be used in accordance with the invention is shown in FIG. 2. The bag portion itself is conventional and consists of front and rear panels 30 and 32, respectively, pleated side panels 34 and 36, and a pleated bottom panel 38 (FIG. 6). This construction as described can be easily flattened by collapsing the pleated panels 34, 36 and 38.

In the preferred embodiment, one or more of the bags may preferably include handles in the form of straps 40 and 42 which cross as shown in FIG. 2. The straps 40 and 42 are not connected at their intersection. Preferably, the straps are formed by a single strip of material which is attached to the front panel 30, rear panel 32 and bottom panel 38 as shown and serve as shoulder straps to assist the customer in carrying the loaded bags over a shoulder. The crossed handle feature helps to prevent one of the straps from slipping off the shoulder (which often occurs with conventional straps when a bag is heavy). The straps can easily be folded away to provide full access to the bag's interior.

The bags can be made of many different types of material. Preferably, the material is relatively stiff so that when the bag is opened, the bag can stand on its own within the shopping cart. Particularly preferable is recycled polypropylene which itself is recyclable.

Because the bags differ progressively in size, the empty bags can be nested inside of each other. Thus, the largest bag 18 will receive bag 16, which in turn will receive bag 14, which in turn will receive bag 12. Once the bags have been placed inside of each other, they all can be collapsed together to form a compact package. It is also contemplated that the bags, after they have been nested together, can be folded lengthwise around the fold line 45 as an additional convenience feature.

The bags may be stored at the customer's home in this condition, and can be easily taken to a supermarket or other grocery store where they can be opened and placed within a grocery cart as shown in FIG. 1.

Thus, the invention provides a reusable packaging system which reduces the need to make, distribute and dispose of environmentally harmful plastic bags. The bags can easily be nested together in a form which is convenient for storage and transport between the user's home and a grocery store. The bags themselves can be easily packed at the checkout counter and will fit comfortably within the confines of a shopping cart. The bags may also include straps to assist in carrying the loaded bags

Those skilled in the art will readily recognize additional numerous adaptations and modifications which can be made to the present invention which fall within the scope of the invention as defined in the claims. Moreover, it is intended that the scope of the present invention include all foreseeable equivalents to the structures as described with reference to FIGS. 1-8. Accordingly, the invention is to be limited only by the scope of the claims and their equivalents. 

1. A bagging system, comprising: a plurality of bags, each bag comprising: a front panel, a rear panel, two side panels, and a bottom panel, wherein the side and bottom panels include pleats configured for folding the bag into a flattened state, wherein each one of the plurality of bags has a cross-sectional area in a plane parallel to the bottom panel of the bag and in an open state that is either greater or less than the cross-sectional area of each of the others of the plurality of bags, and the bags are nested one into another in the open state, and folded together into the flattened state by collapsing the pleated side and bottom panels to form a compact package.
 2. The bagging system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of bags comprises four bags.
 3. The bagging system of claim 2, wherein the four bags are further configured to be de-nested and placed together in an open state within a conventional grocery cart.
 4. The bagging system of claim 1, wherein one of the plurality of bags having a smallest cross-sectional area in the plane parallel to the bottom panel of the bag in an open state further comprises one or more partitions in an interior area of the bag.
 5. The bagging system of claim 4, wherein the one or more partitions are formed from an elasticized material.
 6. The bagging system of claim 4, wherein the partitions comprise a plurality of partitions that are configured in a grid.
 7. The bagging system of claim 1, wherein one or more of the plurality of bags is an insulated bag for carrying hot or cold items.
 8. The bagging system of claim 1, wherein one or more of the plurality of bags is water-resistant.
 9. The bagging system of claim 1, wherein one or more of the plurality of bags further comprises a closable top panel.
 10. The bagging system of claim 1, wherein one of the plurality of bags further comprises handles configured for carrying the bag.
 11. The bagging system of claim 10, wherein the handles are formed from a single strip of material affixed to the front, rear and bottom panels of the bag.
 12. The bagging system of claim 11, wherein: a first portion of the strip is affixed to the front panel on a left side of the bag, the first portion is extended to form a first loop above the bag, a second portion of the strip extends from the first loop, the second portion is affixed to the rear panel on a right side of the bag, a third portion of the strip is affixed to the front panel on a right side of the bag, the third portion is extended in a second loop above the bag, a fourth portion of the strip extends from the second loop, the fourth portion is affixed to the rear panel on a left side of the bag, and the first loop crosses the second loop form a crossed grip portion of the handle.
 13. The bagging system of claim 1, wherein the front, rear and side panels of at least one of the plurality of bags are free-standing when the bag is in the open state.
 14. The bagging system of claim 13, wherein the front, rear and side panels comprise polypropylene.
 15. The bagging system of claim 1, wherein each one of the plurality of bags further comprises a fold line extending vertically along a central axis of each of the front and rear panels, and the nested, flattened bags are folded about respective fold lines to form a more compact package.
 16. A method for forming a bagging system, the method comprising the steps of: providing a plurality of bags, each bag comprising: a front panel, a rear panel, two side panels, and a bottom panel, wherein the side and bottom panels include pleats configured for folding the bag into a flattened state, and wherein each one of the plurality of bags has a cross-sectional area in a plane parallel to the bottom panel of the bag and in an open state that is either greater or less than the cross-sectional area of each of the others of the plurality of bags; nesting the plurality of bags in the open state by placing each bag having a cross-sectional area less that one or more of the other bags within the one of the one or more other bags having a smallest cross-sectional area among the one or more other bags; and folding the nested bags together into the flattened state by collapsing the pleated side and bottom panels to form a compact package.
 17. The method of claim 16, further comprising the steps of: providing each one of the plurality of bags further with a fold line extending vertically along a central axis of each of the front and rear panels, and folding the nested, flattened bags about respective fold lines to form a more compact package.
 18. The method of claim 16, further comprising the step of: providing at least one of the plurality of bags with handles configured for carrying the bag.
 19. The method of claim 18, wherein the step of providing handles for the at least one bag further comprises the step of; forming the handles for the at least one bag from a single strip of material affixed to the front, rear and bottom panels of the bag.
 20. The method of claim 19, wherein the step of affixing the single strip of material further comprises the steps of: affixing a first portion of the strip to the front panel on a left side of the bag; extending the first portion in a first loop above the bag; extending a second portion of the strip from the first loop; affixing the second portion to the rear panel on a right side of the bag; affixing a third portion of the strip to the front panel on a right side of the bag; extending the third portion in a second loop above the bag; extending a fourth portion of the strip from the second loop; and affixing the fourth portion to the rear panel on a left side of the bag; wherein the first loop crosses the second loop form a crossed grip portion of the handle. 